Sesshoumaru's Smile
by Daedreamer
Summary: Sesshoumaru, former demon lord, is the president and owner of the greatest...fashion company...in the country and Rin is his new personal assistant. But Rin is on a mission and it is one that does not include capturing her boss' heart.
1. Gee, Mr Koro

Hello everyone. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it and rereading it for the last two years. This story is finished in my notebook and updates will be posted regularly depending on how much time I have to type it all out.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize—those would be in the property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sigh. If only I could own Sesshoumaru…then I can have my evil way with him…

Chapter 1

Gee, Mr. Koro

Sesshoumaru frowned. His PA had just called in sick and to think, today was the date of his meeting with Gucci!

"What a bungler," Sesshoumaru mused, meticulously scratching his rounded nails in a way that many employees would consider effeminate. The truth was, Sesshoumaru was happily envisioning the characteristic green acid that would drip from the tip of his claws to burn a hole through the inept PA's head, if he would allow it to do so. Sesshoumaru glared distastefully at this fingers and shoulder length black hair. He, the Lord of the Western Lands had been reduced to the appearance of a mortal! Actually, he could shift back to his demon form, but that would risk the wellbeing of the entire demon species and the last thing he need was to become the reason of demon extinction.

"Mr. Koro, the temp is here," the receptionist downstairs announced. Apparently, his PA had managed to break her leg in a skiing accident causing Sesshoumaru to have to find a temporary PA. The one that the agency he'd contacted praised the most was a young work exchange intern from France.

"Send her up," replied Sesshoumaru, his voice not betraying any of his poison-acid ponderings, or any ponderings and emotions at all, for that matter.

The receptionist, obviously used to the cavalier tone of Sesshoumaru's rich, resonating voice, smiled fakely at the young girl standing is front of her. "Take the elevator to floor fifty, office number 5355."

The girl grinned widely at the receptionist, Yura, as if oblivious to the superficiality and malignance of Yura's voice and fairly skipped towards the elevator.

"Not his type," Yura concluded, "She's way to small and naïve. Of course, who would be his type?" Yura sighed dreamily at the thought of having Sesshoumaru even for one night before enviously realizing that the little twit of a girl got to spend all day with Sesshoumaru. "Not that anything would happen, of course," Yura rationalized snidely, "why that little brat doesn't even know how to look like a woman!" Then again, Yura considered herself a woman and she was clad in…well…something not quite so stimulating to the imagination.

The girl, newly dubbed twit and brat, for all her supposed naivete, was perceptive enough to not ask for any further directions from the receptionist. Glad to leave the busy, but relatively quiet lobby with all its suit-clad people who looked like they were all five minutes late to a very important rendezvous, Rin briskly walked across the marble lobby and entered the glass elevator on its other side, all the while hearing the irritating 'click' of her high heels.

The building was much more glamorous than Rin had first pictured. The floors she passed were filled with plush carpets, capacious offices offering beautiful views of the entire city, and architecture that rivaled some of Las Vegas' finest casinos, and, it seemed, a different set of pure wood furniture per floor. If she hadn't been so nervous about her first job, she would have squealed at the fact that she was literally rising out of the floor of on level in less and zooming past heads of the people on that level in less than five seconds.

Through all the excitement, Rin managed to hear a faint 'ding' followed by a recorded 'floor fifty'. Rin turned around to find that everyone else in the elevator had already left. Hastily, she checked herself one more time. Unlike all the other women she had seen, Rin was not wearing a business suit. Her dark, airy dress pants clung to her narrow, but curvy hips and draped down to almost touch the floor. The crème blouse she word watched her skin and contrasted with her pants and her hair perfectly, albeit the thing showed a bit more shoulder than she had originally intended. Her dark hair was gathered neatly into a single long braid that ran to her waist and her name tag was clipped horizontally on to her blouse front. Satisfied with her appearance, Rin stepped out of the elevator and entered the empty waiting area. It seemed that the entire top floor of the building was dedicated to just the one office. The fabric of her pants brushed softly against the thick cream colored carpet as she made her way past the ebony wood reception counter towards the open doorway. Hesitantly, she knocked twice.

"Come in."

The room was decorated, if she could call it that, with dark, angular cabinets and a single large desk in the center, all of which were glossy ebony wood. A high back leather chair was facing the window. Rin would've giggled at how stereotypically 'Hollywood' the scene appeared.

"Rin!" Sesshoumaru's now hazel eyes widened in shock as he breathe din her scent. "Five hundred years! She's finally returned!" Turning his chair to face her once he had gotten over the shock and recomposed his nonchalant air, Sesshoumaru scrutinized her. Abruptly, his nostrils flared. His Rin, who only wore conservative kimonos, was now sporting…well…something less conservative. Hungrily, he roamed her slim figure, letting his eyes linger on the expanse of her softly illuminating ivory skin, the swell of her blouse around the generous chest area, and the snug fit of her hips. Her appearance, other than wardrobe taste, had not changed much. Her hair was a shiny black that smelled of honey-suckles. Her dark eyebrows gave way to thick, long eyelashes which covered her large chocolate eyes which sparkled and shone with beauty and life, her nose was delicate like the rest of her petite frame and her lips were small but sensuous and full. Her face seemed more angular, more sophisticated than before, but she still had an innocence and cheerfulness about her that were reflected perfectly by the twin dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. Smiled? Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru asked the girl to repeat herself.

Rin blushed hotly as her boss examined her. She felt like a slab of meat being examined at the deli! Blushing even more when she finally caught his molten gaze, Rin made a futile attempt at breaking his examination—not that she wasn't flattered a successful, handsome man was ogling her, it was just that the situation was a little…wrong.

"Hello, I'm Rin Sarasessaki," she managed to say without hearing her voice crack.

As if suddenly snapped out of a reverie, the black haired male blinked at her a few times before asking her to repeat herself.

Rin gulped. Her voice held out the first time, but a second time? "I'm Rin," she repeated, then added as she handed the man her curriculum vitae, "your temporary PA."

Then, a miracle happed, well, not exactly, because Rin didn't know Sesshoumaru very well. Actually, no one did, but anyone who worked in the building for more than a week would know that Koro Sesshoumaru NEVER smiled. But smile he did. The slight tug of his full lips seemed a bit uneasy and the thing probably wasn't even qualified as a smiled but none-the-less, it left Rin breathless.

"Welcome to Western Sakura, Rin," Sesshoumaru started, after quickly balking his smile and resuming his apathetic mast. "As you know, this company is at the top of its class in both modeling and fashion design. We cater to internationally renowned designers and nationally celebrated brands, most of the latter having started in this very building you are standing in. We are famous for our exceptional advertising and design and theme departments and of course, our models. As my PA, you are required to authorize the final set-up of shows and approve the models' entrance onto the catwalk. If anything seems wrong on them—makeup, dress size, et cetera—you are entitled to deny them access. Also, you will accompany me to any boardroom meetings and important client meetings I may have. As you have probably realized, this position is one with quite a lot of sway and it is only through the recommendation of my long time friend Kouga, the president of the temp company you were in, that you received this position. I hope you do not betray his trust. Please read through the following papers and sign on the dotted line. We have an appointment at lunch with Gucci, so make sure to dress in the brand, if you have no attire of Gucci's go down to Attires and they will dress you in something suitable. Questions?" Sesshoumaru almost winced. Why did he have to sound so cold to Rin? The Rin he knew five hundred years ago would be yelling at him for that introduction.

"But she's not the young woman you knew have a millennium ago, is she? You saw to that," a small voice in the back of his head whispered.

Rin blinked, silently wondering how he could talk so much in one breath without sounding even a bit breathless. "Why did you decide to inform me instead of getting someone else to do it? I didn't expect to get a briefing personally from the president and owner of the largest, busiest, and most successful fashion company in Japan." She wondered, remembering the warning Kouga had given her about Mr. Koro and his impatience with new employees.

"Been hearing rumors already, have you? Anyone else would have taken at least twice the time and missed half the information," the man replied, rather conceitedly in Rin's opinion, in a deep, resonating, chuckle that vibrated from his shirt-clad, clearly muscular chest to his adams apple.

Flushing as she figured out she'd voiced her thoughts, Rin picked up the papers he'd mentioned to her and scampered out the darkly furnished room beforeher legs gave way.

Rin was a fast worker and was always focused on her job. She'd read through the files, signed them, and began work on the data charts Sesshoumaru had requested with her usually celerity but her focus was off. Rin frowned, first day on the job and she already was having trouble. Faintly, she remembered that the sourse of her trouble was a certain boss' rich, sexy chuckle and equally sexy appearance, but she hastily brushed the thought away. Suddenly, her eyes let up. Gucci! She was going to get a se t of Gucci clothes to wear! Inwardly berating herself for being so easily excited about material pleasures, she half-heatedly suppressed a squeal, jumped up from her chair, dropped Sesshoumaru's now finished data sheets and her signed papers, the only things she had to take care of this morning, into said man's bind and all but skipped down to 'Attires' while humming to "Frosty the Snowman."


	2. Rin Dresses in Red

Disclaimer:

Defeated, I admit to the man in black, "I do not own Inuyasha." Secretly thinking, "But I do own Sesshoumaru—he's chained to my dungeon wall right now." I cackle evilly.

"Ahem," the man in black coughs as he fingers the arrest warrant again.

"Fine! I own nothing that you recognize!"

* * *

Chapter 2: Rin Dresses in Red 

"Hi," Rin greeted the chique-looking woman sitting diagonally below a gold "ATTIRES" sign that was nailed on the wall as she flashed her employee card to get through the security system.

The woman shifted her head from the computer monitor and grimaced as she saw Rin, obviously affected by Rin's cheery "Frosty the Snowman" song.

Shrugging as she sensed the woman's disapproval, Rin continued, "Could you tell me where the Gucci section is?"

"Go straight down women's; turn left on the second complex to the right," the woman informed Rin laconically before turning back to her LCD monitor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kagi Kaze swirled critically in front of the dressing mirror.

"Hmm…not enough cleavage," she though distastefully. She expertly adjusted the already lascivious neckline and smiled, satisfied with her handiwork. Kagi was a beautiful specimen of the female gender and she knew it. Her eyes were an exotic shade of brown that shone crimson, her bust was exceeding satisfactory by far, and she had more curves than an hourglass. Anyone who claimed that the voluptuous look was out of season and that the lean, athletic build was in would be soundly silenced by a nice stare at model Kagi Kaze. Despite her superior modeling attributes though, Kagi was hardly a good employee. Afterall, she _had_ just snuck in here to 'borrow' a few brand name clothing articles. Once of said articles currently clung to her body like a second skin was worth a few hundred dollars but was only a few scraps of cloth and string meticulously pieced together by hand to create a final image of something akin to what the devil's sex toy would wear.

Happily examining the dark aura around herself, Kagi's eyes narrowed as the previously mentioned aura dissipated. Afterall, it was difficult to keep a sinister aura if "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" were being sung in the background. That, and the fact of Kagi's escalating anxiety of being caught err… borrowing company property.

"Kindly stop that…noise…before I see to it personally that you _will_ receive your two front teeth for Christmas," the dark lady sneered with false bravado, hoping that whatever stupid girl beyond the room would get the hint and leave. She couldn't risk loosing this job because of something as trivial as greedily trying on off-limits clothes. The implications if she were to be fired… Kagi paled at the thought. Her _real_ boss would kill her, literally.

Rin frowned. What was with all these people? The entire building was filled with the Scrooges and Grinches of the world. Well, except for her boss—he, at least, had smiled—and what a sexy smile that had been. Of the irony of the situation, that the probability of Sesshoumaru so much as tilting his mouth was smaller than that of the entire building's inhabitants bowing over in laughter, was lost on her. Quickly, Rin cleared her throat, forcefully compelling her mind to get off the dangerous track of thought.

"I didn't realize someone else was in here," Rin replied, with enough sugar in her voice to sink a ship. Inwardly, she seethed. "No one, and I mean no one, criticizes my singing, much less threaten me!"

Kagi sighed in relief. The kid was newcomer then, because those were the only ones who wouldn't know that nobody was supposed in the corner of the Gucci section she was currently standing in. That was good news. Newcomers could be tricked. But this newbie was quite annoying. The sweetness! She cringed. Then, she smirked as she finally saw her inadvertent antagonist. The girl was wearing "conservative".

"So it seems my little antagonist is unsure of her body," Kagi mused before smirking, "Getting her distracted from my questionable presence here will be easy."

"Proundly puffing her ample bosom, Kagi started, "Your new here, right? I'll help you choose some outfits."

Rin gawked. Here she was, fully expecting a fight from the scantily clad woman and said harlot was offering help? "Uh…Thanks…but don't you have a photo shoot soon?" Rin asked, wrongly guessing the reason why the woman was in here in the first place though she didn't recall a scheduled shoot that day.

"It's alright. Alfonzo's a patient photographer," Kagi lied easily.

Rin gulped as she saw Kagi dive into the sea of designer wear with the prowess of a hunting cat thinking to herself that she didn't like the gleam in the harlot's eyes.

It turned out, Kagura had chosen a scarlet silk skirt that clung to Rin's every curve like a lover's hands and showed enough leg and chest that the imagination was sorely disappointed. The thing came along with a scarf that had some very strategically placed holes in it to show off little flashes of shoulder, neck, and lower collarbone area. The skimpy little leather coat that came with it was barely covering two inches more of leg than the skirt and…Rin's eyes widened in horror…were those…they were…four inch heels.

"Two can play at this game," Rin thought determinedly. Resuming her sickening sweet persona, Rin thanked Kagi and adorned the outfit.

The red outfit brought out the redness of her lips and accented her generous curves and lean body. Rin had put her hair in a loose, stylish twist and a few silken tendrils teasingly brushed against the ivory skin that the scarf did not cover. The heels, well, they were painful, but Rin had abnormally good balance and they did wonders to Rin's already long, toned legs.

Cheekily, Rin skipped out of the dress room, thanked Kagi with all the honey her voice could muster, commented on how well the color suited her Christmas songs, and couldn't help but laugh at the envious, then furious expression on Kagi's face before the angered lady stormed out of "Attires".

Now that her fun was over, Rin became slightly conscientious of how she looked. Deciding that a change of clothes was necessary, something vibrated in her handbag before she could pick out more formal attire. Seeing that it was Sesshoumaru calling her, Rin answered.

"Miss Raesessaki, do you know what time it is?" The cool voice at the other end of the line asked.

"Rin's eyes widened as she saw the display on her cell phone: quarter past noon. In all her excitement and the incident with the unknown harlot, Rin had forgotten to check the time.

"Oh fu--! I'm so sorry! You're at the restaurant already right? Where is it? I'll be there in five minutes, I wager my job on it!"

Somewhat amused by both her expletives and her promise, Sesshoumaru suppressed another chuckle. "Damn! Half a day with her and I'm going soft!" He chastised himself. Apparently, the two other occupants of the table had heard her outburst too and were quietly laughing at her antics.

"Kobe's; ask for the Koro reservation."

"Damn! That's practically the other side of the city! I could get there in no traffic but…now?" Rin muttered to herself.

"You wagered," Sesshoumaru replied coolly, though he had no intention of letting the little nymph go anytime soon.

Like a madwoman, Rin dashed through the revolving front door, jabbed down her accelerator and was exercising her usage of florid language while fighting against the noon hour traffic. Thankfully, Rin had grown up in Paris so handling tough traffic was her specialty, that, and people didn't want to deal with a madwoman racing beside their own car.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Well, gentlemen, shall we commence?" Sesshoumaru incited, faintly amused that the two grown men, one of which had graying and white hair, were furtively stealing glances at their watches. They sighed. Ten more seconds to 12:20! Even as he laid out photos of his shows, Sesshoumaru could hear the soft "one Mississippi, two Mississippi…" counting the two men were muttering under their breaths.

"Ten Mississippi," the two Gucci executives counted in unison. Just then, a loud click could be heard from the elevator entrance way and all three men turned their heads to see a flushed, skirt clad girl walking briskly to the table.

"Good to see you decided to join us," Sesshoumaru pieced together with a bit of difficulty as he took in what she was wearing: Rin looked like…well…a tease! No, somehow, all skimpy outfits aside, she'd managed to pull off a serious, professional composure. He growled as he saw the two other men ogle Rin. No one eyed his woman like that! To frustrate the demon lord even more, Rin had removed the jacket to reveal a good deal of shoulder and her loose hair just happened to brush against the swell of her bosom. To his relief, she left the scarf on.

Having regained her breath, Rin apologized to the three men, only to blush harder when she realized tow strangers were eyeing her…quite…lustfully. "Here are the papers I was to bring," Rin announced, relieved, if not a bit disappointed, that Sesshoumaru wasn't staring at her and opted to sit beside the one sane man in the room.

Sesshoumaru quickly introduced her to the CEO and senior executive.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLater…

"Well, I'd agree, but put frankly, the general audience has seen so many shows of that set up that I think we should alter it a bit. Your models, as I can tell by their profiles, are too tall and too exotic for the Japanese buyers to believe they will look the same as the models do when they wear the outfits. Perhaps we could accrue some oriental models for you? I've heard your company's trying to expand throughout Asia, so wouldn't the first step be to advertise? What better way is there to do that than to hold auditions for Japan's teens and young adults to actively participate in your company? Also, new models won't have the traditional training so your new modeling scheme wouldn't call for extra pay raises and additional training for the new type of presentation you plan to use. Afterall, you're planning to use a Japanese teahouse theme in which the models dance, perform, and do the catwalk as opposed to just stalking on the runway." Rin finished.

Silence.

Rin fiddled with the hem of her skirt, feeling foolish for voicing her thoughts.

"Well, Mr. Koro, looks like you just got yourself a new client. This young lady is surely a godsend for you."

"She surely is," Sesshoumaru thought. Outwardly, he replied rather coolly, "Sign here then."

"Not so fast, though," the older of the two interjected, "we have one stipulation—Miss Raesessaki will model for us during the first show, that's all."

Seeing Sesshoumaru's eyes narrow by less than a picometer, Rin quickly answered before Sesshoumaru rebuffed the proposition, "I'd love to. I'll be ready in a month."

"Good, good," the representatives left, shaking hands with Sesshoumaru and Rin after giving Sesshoumaru the signed contract.

"You know how to model?" Sesshoumaru asked as he leaned back and poured himself some of Mission Hill's "Painted Turtle" wine that he had ordered.

"No."

The wine pouring stopped. "What! You said you'd be ready in a month!"

"I learn fast."

Sesshoumaru sighed. He put down the wine and reached for the vodka.

"Have some faith, would you?"

Only Rin. Only Rin could say things to him so flippantly to him and not be torn to bits.

"Good job with the idea and the graphs you made this morning were quite concise…but pink?" Sesshoumaru changed the topic.

Rin started. Sesshoumaru had complimented her? He hardly seemed the type to give out praise easily. She grinned and then giggled at the cringe that marred the handsome face at the mention of the color.

"It adds some character to the thing, don't you think? I mean, all the old ones your PA left were so mundane—not to mention disorganized—I just couldn't help myself. Besides, you seem like you need a little more color in your life."

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrow at the pun. "Speaking of character, what is that…dress…all about? Workplace modesty was one of the topics you had to read through this morning and I'm sure it was mentioned somewhere that unless on the runway, it was to be maintained." He asked, pausing for a word to describe the scanty thing.

At this, Rin burst out laughing, obviously bending and therefore, showing Sesshoumaru some of her bust line that the scarf had previously covered.

In between enjoying his new…scenery and listening to her melodious, twinkling laughter, Sesshoumaru managed to decipher what had happened.

Sesshoumaru had, in fact, known for a while now that Kagi Kaze, or rather, Kagura, as she was really called, was taking company clothes. However, he'd been curious as to what she was doing back in Japan since Naraku and his spawn had fled the country five hundred years ago and never set foot on it until now. Although he knew that getting in trouble with the wind sorceress who was doing a very poor job of disguising herself as one of the top models was not a good idea, Sesshoumaru couldn't bring himself to rebuke Rin and soon found that her laughter was contagious. Rin stopped laughing when she heard a deep, rich vibration from beside her and she lifted her face to see Sesshoumaru…laughing? His laugh was so…surprisingly warm and inviting. She stared, awed. She'd always though of the man as handsome, but she had never truly gathered the courage to examine him more closely.

His hair had a silverfish glow about it, probably due to the lighting, his eyes were perfectly shaped but seemed so distant, except at this moment, his nose was a bit pointed, but it, along with his high cheekbones and sharp features, made him appear wild, as if he echoed of the knowledge and the unconquerable spirit of nature and time. His body, she felt a tremor through her own form as she scrutinized it, was enough to put any Roman sculpture to shame.

Sesshoumaru had long ceased laughing. He curiously watched the girl examine him. He smiled. Five centuries ago, a little girl had found him wounded in a forest and had looked at him the same way. Then, she followed him all over the land, without a word of complaint when her frail human body ached from the harsh climates their journeys inevitably trespassed and the merciless physical trials. She'd blossomed with the flowers of spring and grew beautiful, later…he stopped. He remembered what had happened later. He stared at the girl, no, woman, in front of him and felt himself shocked by how well she had been reincarnated: even the light, almost imperceptible freckles sprinkled across her nose were the same—now to the last one! Her eyes were so warm…He knew he was getting drawn into their warm chocolate depths but he couldn't help but loose himself in the rich swirls of cinnamon and cocoa. Unconsciously, he closed the distance between them and breathed in her light arousal—most likely from examining my body—he thought arrogantly, and her own scent or honeysuckle and well…Rin. His suit-clad arm snaked around her trim waist and…he remembered the last time he'd hugged her this close—dear Kami, her body even felt the same in his arms! Brusquely, Sesshoumaru distanced himself from her, stood up, straightened his jacket and left.

Rin stared at his retreating figured, already missing his warmth. It had been so close. Closing her eyes, she savored his lingering scent, a musky, earthy, dewy pine that was interlaced with a spicy bit of masculinity, at least, it she had to name the last one, she'd call it that. She could feel his warm breath fanning her face and all she could do was close her eyes and think—in a very suspiciously excited and happy voice—"He was going to kiss me!" Then, he'd left before his full, soft-looking lips could even brush her own. Was it a flash of guilt and regret in his golden eyes? Golden?! Rin shook her head. She must've been seeing things, but she could've sworn his eyes were the prettiest shade of molten gold she had ever seen.

"Why do I have to work for him?" She pondered silently, cursing her bad luck.

* * *

Note: I'm not a commerce student so I made up her speech to the execs. If there's something logically wrong with the entire thing, please don't flame me for it. Constructive critisism with comments like, that's wrong, its supposed to be this way would be way better. 

Hope you enjoyed!


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